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The Lure and Lore

A little girl found a button in her salad and was heard to remark, ”I suppose it fell off while the salad was dressing.”

Now that I’ve got you laughing :) I’ll just mention that I thought it would be fun to fill the column, this time, with little bits of button lore.

# When Prince Albert arrived in England in 1840, to marry Queen Victoria, she gave him a tiny bouquet of flowers. The Prince, noted for his charming little courtesies, took a penknife from his pocket, cut a hole in the lapel of his coat and inserted the flowers. This was the first lapel buttonhole. Prince Albert had his tailor make them in all his suits.

# Giving buttons as a wedding gift was customary in 1700's France.

# Wartime 1940's, times were hard. When the collection plate was passed in church, folks, not wanting to let the plate pass them without an offering, would put buttons in. This notice was published: Those who prefer to put buttons rather than money in the offertory are asked to put their own buttons in, not those taken from the cushions.

# Buttons on men’s shirts are on the right, women’s on the left. One reasoning for the origin of this is as follows: Since most folks are right handed and most men dressed themselves, it was expeditious to have garments button from right to left. Many higher class women had dressing servants. Maids facing the buttons head on found it easier to fasten their mistresses garments if they were sewn on the opposite side. Tailors complied with this convention and it has never been altered.

# In the early 1900's tourists visited Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to see the famous Apache leader, Geronimo, who was confined there. Geronimo sold the buttons off his coat as souvenirs and kept extra buttons in his pockets at all times to replace the ones he sold.

# To keep small pierced earrings together in your jewelry box, fasten them through the holes of a button.

# The world is made up of people who lose buttons and people who collect buttons.